Lake Metroparks moves forward with plans for dog park near Farmpark in Kirtland

Lake Metroparks officials are moving forward with a plan to build the park district’s first dog park after adjusting the park’s layout to avoid trouble with an adjacent homeowner’s property.
Despite the revised layout, some nearby residents are mixed on traffic that will be generated by the project sitting east of the Farmpark in Kirtland. Lake Metroparks Commissioner Dennis Eckart said the district’s focus on resolving the neighborhood’s concerns is not over.
With an estimated price tag of $170,000, the project includes a 1-acre fenced area for unleashed small dogs, a 2-acre fenced area for unleashed large dogs, a fenced area between the two areas, a parking lot for 12 cars and a pond.
Lake Metroparks commissioners paused the project at a June 11 meeting after homeowner Mike Young and his mother-in-law expressed concern on risks of safety and noise on his property being so close to the park.
In response, Metroparks officials flipped the 1-acre small dog area to the other side of the property and are planting a screening of trees and plants between Young’s property and the dog park, Lake Metroparks Executive Director Paul Palagyi said.
Palagyi presented the amended layout to Lake Metroparks commissioners on July 16 before they voted on a bided contract for the project’s fencing.
Park officials said they worked with Young, who was at the meeting, in making the changes.
“They didn’t address everything I wanted to address, but they gave it a good shot,” Young said after the meeting. “Our kids play softball and since it hit the (newspaper,) a lot of folks showed up and said that’s not what we need in Kirtland. We’re begging for green space for ball fields and stuff. Land in Kirtland is so expensive they can’t afford to buy space for baseball or soccer fields. We would have loved for some sort of open fields for people to play ball and fly kites.”
Brian Glowe, a resident that lives across the street from the dog park site, also expressed concerns over the site’s location and the outsider traffic it might cause. He said he’s spoken to at least 40 neighbors who also share concern.
But that isn’t the reception Palagyi has been hearing, he said after the meeting.
“We have had people from Kirtland encouraging us to do this and wanting to know when this will be finished,” Palagyi said. “I am not questioning the people who questioned us about the dog park, but we do know residents who are excited about it.”
Palagyi said he measured the demand for a dog park by asking the ranger department to report how often they meet dogs without leashes, a feature typically exclusive to dog parks. Chief Ranger Daniel Llewellyn reported that half of the dogs his rangers see walk without leashes.

About the Author

Simon Husted joined the News-Herald in February 2013. The Buffalo native and Kent State graduate covers schools and community issues in Fairport Harbor, Perry Township, Perry Village, North Perry, Madison Township and Madison Village. Reach the author at shusted@news-herald.com
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